For standard, routine care, patients tend to make their decisions around convenience, access, and quality. They want to go where they can get the most efficient, effective, and empathetic care.
But a patient’s perspective, priorities, and process for making decisions all shift when faced with a serious or life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, neurological or cardiac diagnoses, and complex surgeries. And this mindset shift has implications for how hospitals and health systems position themselves, their providers, and their service lines.
Through our research, listening to and understanding what drives patient decision-making for serious conditions, we’ve come to recognize a few patterns:
Physicians carry the most weight.
A lot of our clients are surprised to hear that consumers don’t think as much about system resources and capabilities when making such an important decision. But in the words of one healthcare consumer, “Buildings don’t know cancer.”
In a consumer’s eyes, physicians are the ones treating conditions, not the hospital or health system itself. And physicians have the biggest impact on a positive outcome.
This is why, for the vast majority of patients facing a serious condition or complex surgery, where they seek care is driven first and foremost by the provider.
What do patients look for in a physician?
- Specialization: Many patients are looking for a physician who specializes in their exact condition, has years of experience operating on or treating it, and has a proven, substantial track record of positive outcomes.
- Reputation: Patients assume the best physicians will have notable reputations for attending a top medical school, receiving prestigious awards, notable publications, or experience treating A-list patients.
- Access to technology: Depending on the condition, patients may seek to reassure themselves that their preferred provider will have access to cutting-edge technology.
And you may be wondering how affiliation factors in. Most patients expect top physicians to practice at excellent hospitals and systems. So, they choose the physician and trust that that means the facility will have whatever they need.
When it comes to consumers who search first within a particular system, they are looking to a reputable brand as a way to find the best providers. If a particular facility is well-known for a certain type of care, the consumer assumes the best providers will practice there, too.
What this means for you: It’s important to highlight the top physicians and surgeons that work at your hospital or in your system. This means amplifying their specialization and reputation and promoting them as a defining factor in your brand experience. If patients and providers alike associate you with top medical talent, they’re more likely to turn to you when faced with the decision for where to seek high-stakes care.
Referrals play a significant role.
Our research has shown about 3 in 5 patients say their physician referred them to the hospital they used for their serious operation or treatment, and they never questioned the decision.
Even among the patients who take a more active role in selecting a provider, many are looking for a recommendation from a trusted medical professional, including but not limited to their PCP, that they can research further before making the final decision.
What this means for you: Ensure your hospital or system has a strong, expansive network of providers that consider you for specialty care. This means assessing the scale of your referral network and identifying any barriers that may deter referrals, including lack of awareness, lack of familiarity, experience issues, or even technical difficulties associated with the referral process.
Online presence matters.
Our research has indicated that between 60% and 85% of patients with a serious condition go online to look for information and advice before booking specialty care, if time allows.
Nearly 3 in 5 say the insights they find online, from physician bios to patient reviews, will have a major influence on their choice of where to receive care. In fact, we’ve found that while few patients will abandon consideration of a provider for a lack of ratings or reviews, over 3 in 4 will abandon consideration if the provider has a low star rating total.
What this means for you: Make key information on service lines, providers, and patient testimonials easy to find through a quick digital search. Whether it’s a potential patient verifying a referral or conducting their own research, you’re much more likely to be taken into consideration if they can find you and information about you online efficiently. And take those poor reviews seriously; don’t leave experience issues unaddressed and assume that they won’t come up again. Better to address a single negative patient experience head on than play catch- up repairing relationships with multiple dissatisfied patients.
At Market Street Research, we partner with hospitals, health systems, and care providers to strengthen connections and build trust with those who rely on their care. Through brand tracking studies, patient experience research, community health needs assessments, and provider engagement surveys, we help healthcare organizations deliver responsive, patient-centered care that builds trust and loyalty in their markets.
To learn more about our approach, contact us for a consultation today.